Without video creators, YouTube wouldn’t be one of the world’s biggest social platforms. Without the platform, YouTubers wouldn’t be, well, YouTubers. But video creators are regularly facing new policy changes from YouTube that could impact their ability to make money from their work—and it’s not always clear what these changes are or why YouTube is making them.
Now, as part of a push for fair treatment, YouTubers are looking to collective action. The effort is being led, in part, by an unlikely character: a creator in Germany who makes high-powered slingshots for his audience of 2.3 million subscribers. This week on the Gadget Lab podcast, we talk with WIRED staff writer Emma Grey Ellis about what YouTubers hope to get out of their unionization efforts and what the movement means for the video giant.
Also in the news: Mark Zuckerberg gets grilled by the House Financial Services Committee about Libra, Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency … except the hearing was about much more than just Libra.
Show Notes:
Read Emma’s story about the YouTubers union here. And here’s Steven Levy’s story about the Libra hearing in Washington. Read Lauren's review of the Samsung Galaxy Fold here.
Recommendations:
Emma recommends the science and comedy podcast Ologies With Alie Ward. Mike recommends the book I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum. Lauren recommends the book Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow. Arielle recommends Google’s experimental Digital Wellbeing features, like the one that batches your notifications for you.
Emma Grey Ellis is on Twitter @EmmaGreyEllis. Lauren Goode can be found @LaurenGoode. Arielle Pardes is @pardesoteric. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Boone Ashworth, who edits the show, can be found at @BooneAshworth. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. Our theme song is by Solar Keys.
How to Listen
You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how:
If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for Gadget Lab. If you use Android, you can find us in the Google Play Music app just by tapping here. We’re on Spotify too. You can also download an app like Pocket Casts or Google Podcasts, and search for Gadget Lab. And in case you really need it, here's the RSS feed.
https://www.wired.com/feed/podcast/gadget-lab
- Ripper—the inside story of the egregiously bad videogame
- Planting tiny spy chips in hardware can cost as little as $200
- Netflix, save yourself and give me something random to watch
- The best tech and accessories for your dog
- The former Soviet Union's surprisingly gorgeous subways
- 👁 Prepare for the deepfake era of video; plus, check out the latest news on AI
- 🎧 Things not sounding right? Check out our favorite wireless headphones, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers
